Top seed Iga Swiatek was almost shown the exit door by Jule Niemeier in the fourth round of the US Open, but the world No.1 prevailed thanks to her experience and the ability of true champions to win matches that are almost lost, 2-6 6-4 6-0.
The world No.108 Niemeier dominated the first set, as Swiatek never even earned a break point. The first to go a break up in the second set was again the underdog, who had never before this US Open won a Tour-level hard-court match. Seven of the last eight games in the second set were breaks and it was eventually Swiatek who had the upper hand.
The momentum absolutely turned to Swiatek in the decider, as the Pole sealed the match with a bagel. Had Niemeier had better serve stats, that included 13 double faults, Swiatek could’ve been upset in two sets, but Swiatek knows how to get out of unfavorable situations and that’s one of the reasons why she reigns the WTA at present.
The two-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek has now become the first Polish woman to reach the US Open quarterfinals. The 21-year-old has never lost to a player outside the Top 100 at a Grand Slam.
In the 2022 US Open quarterfinals, Swiatek’s opponent will be American Jessica Pegula, who cruised past Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-2 earlier on Monday.
